Understanding the bigger picture in greenhouse horticulture
- Tristan Rovan
- Tristan Rovan at Dalsem - Complete Greenhouse Projects
“A greenhouse is only one part of what a grower has to think about. I wanted to understand that bigger picture.”
When Tristan entered the greenhouse horticulture sector, he quickly discovered how much there was to learn. With a background in climate studies and a commercial role at a greenhouse construction company, he already understood part of the equation. But conversations with growers rarely stopped at the greenhouse itself.
“They don’t just want to know which greenhouse they need, but also why,” he explains. “There is also an element of consultancy involved. I realised I was still missing the plant and horticultural knowledge to really have those conversations.”
That was one of the main reasons he joined Wageningen University & Research’s Summer School Greenhouse Horticulture: to better understand what happens inside the greenhouse and how all the different pieces fit together.
Looking beyond the greenhouse itself
Tristan’s route into horticulture was not necessarily an obvious one. After studying climate studies at Wageningen University & Research, an internship at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs took him to West Africa. There, he saw Dutch agricultural companies operating internationally and became interested in working in the sector himself.
He eventually found his way into greenhouse construction, where the combination of technology, international business and agriculture appealed to him. His academic background also turned out to be relevant. “During my studies, I learned how climate works on a macro scale. Now I’m looking at many of those same mechanisms within a small, controlled environment.”
At the same time, he realised that greenhouse horticulture brings together much more than climate and engineering. Plant physiology, cultivation and crop requirements all influence the choices growers make. “If you want to properly explain which greenhouse someone should choose, you also need to understand how different plants work and why you would choose one solution over another.”
“If you want to properly explain which greenhouse someone should choose, you also need to understand how different plants work and why you would choose one solution over another.”
An intensive two weeks
Tristan describes the summer school as a “pressure cooker”: intensive, but also full of opportunities to learn. The programme combines lectures, discussions, a group project and excursions to growers and research facilities.
What stands out to him is the mix of participants. Growers, suppliers and other professionals all bring their own expertise into the classroom. “I already know quite a bit about greenhouses, so sometimes I can explain something from my perspective. But then a grower can tell me much more about how they cultivate tomatoes or peppers, while another supplier brings expertise from a completely different area.”
That exchange also changes the way topics are discussed. “Sometimes someone asks a question during a lecture and I think: I’ve never looked at it that way before.”
The practical visits add another layer. Participants can see how ideas from the classroom work in a real greenhouse and discuss why growers sometimes make different choices. A theoretically efficient solution, for example, may not always be the most cost-effective one in practice. “You can say, ‘I heard something different in the lecture’, and then the grower explains why they have made another choice. You can really discuss those decisions together.”
Taking a broader perspective back to work
For Tristan, the biggest benefit is not that the summer school suddenly turns him into a cultivation consultant. It is that he can now better understand the challenges growers are dealing with and place his own expertise within that broader context. “I won’t be able to tell a grower exactly what they should do, but I can think along with them. I understand much better what they are dealing with.”
That gives him more confidence in customer conversations and helps him look beyond the greenhouse as a technical product. Topics such as crop physiology, fertilisation and cultivation choices may not be his own area of responsibility, but understanding them helps him see how the greenhouse fits into the grower’s overall operation. “Before, I might have looked mainly at the greenhouse. Now I can put my work into the bigger picture. And that helps me do my job better.”
The international network is an additional benefit. Tristan first heard about the summer school from a WUR researcher he met during a trade mission to South Korea, who told him that the programme had helped him quickly build both knowledge and contacts in the sector. Tristan can already see that happening within his own group.
“People are already advising each other. Many participants work internationally, because the sector itself is so international. There is a good chance I’ll come across some of these people again somewhere in the world.”
He initially thought the summer school would be especially useful for professionals who, like him, are relatively new to greenhouse horticulture. But seeing the rest of the group changed that view. “There are also people here who have been working in the sector for ten years or much longer, and they are still asking interesting questions. So I would recommend it to anyone who wants to broaden their understanding of greenhouse horticulture.”
“Before, I might have looked mainly at the greenhouse. Now I can put my work into the bigger picture. And that helps me do my job better.”